How to stabilise sand dunes in Thoothukudi’s theri land

A wind break or shelter belt is a carefully raised tree and shrub structure that can  prevent the wind from beating on the land surface and …

As told to Parliament (April 5, 2022): India’s doctor-population ratio is 1:834

All that was discussed in the House through the day

‘No govt support’, villagers of Majuli river island build bamboo embankment to prevent erosion

The flood prevention measures by the state of inferior quality 

A third of India’s coastline underwent erosion in 28 years, Bengal worst affected

27% of coastline expanded between 1990 and 2018, according to a report by Union Ministry of Earth Sciences

Choking Mahananda: How Siliguri’s waste, water crisis is turning on its people

Rapid urbanisation, inefficient waste management and encroachment have turned the Mahananda into a drain. And farmers are losing livelihoods

Seeding happy, cleaning air: Farmers adopting non-burn tech give hope

Several Indian states are experimenting with Happy Seeder that cuts and lifts the paddy straw and also improves soil health

How balanced soil nutrient management can save Indian agriculture

The ill-effects of imbalanced application of fertilisers — which leads to soil sickness, decline in soil health and reduces crop …

Tractors can change farming in good ways and bad: lessons from four African countries

Insights from 87 villages reveal transformative power of agricultural mechanisation, but there are challenges too — like soil erosion, …

The forgotten environmental crisis: How 20th century settler writers foreshadowed the Anthropocene

Almost a century ago, New Zealand and Australia were at the forefront of an environmental crisis that was also profoundly geological in nature: …

India’s agrarian distress: Can we revive our fatigued soils

Intensive cultivation and improper nutrient replenishment have affected soil fertility. Stagnating or declining yields are the telltales

Beyond conservation, why our natural ecosystems need restoration

Significant strides have been made in both the science and practice of restoration over the last three decades, with specialisation across …

Where does the water go during a drought? Germany researchers try to find out

Researchers examined how the process of evaporation and groundwater recharge differed under various kinds of soils and land uses

India needs to protect its wetland flora

Wetland flora help maintain ecological balance and need to be conserved. However, only 68 wetlands are protected in India so far

Deforestation, agriculture triggered soil erosion 4,000 years ago: Study

Increased sediment deposits and changes in land use showed the degradation of soil during the last four millenia

Soil erosion triggers ravine expansion in Gujarat

Ravines have increased by 60-70 per cent in four districts of Gujarat in the last 4-5 decades and this threatens agriculture and livelihood there

New method developed to measure soil erosion

This method can help monitor the effects of soil erosion and effectiveness of soil conservation strategies

Microplastics in soil threatens earthworms’ growth: Study

Earthworms exposed to plastic chemicals from bottles and carry bags lost on average 3.1% in weight, while those without added microplastics had a …

Desertification in India: Soiled Dhule land is shallow, unfit for plantation

This Maharashtra district, one of India’s land degradation hotspots, struggles with soil erosion coupled with low forest cover, illegal …

Desertification in India: Slash-and-burn farming destroys Nagaland

Experts blame shifting cultivation for land degradation as about 20,000 hectares of forest is felled every year in the state for it

Nigeria shows way to reverse land degradation

Launched in 2015, NEWMAP — a World Bank project — has successfully restored gullies, along with catchment planning, soil and …

How communities in China helped keep desertification at bay

A fast-ageing population could deter efforts to achieve the United Nation’s target of zero land degradation by 2030

Desertification in India: Mining erodes soil, water table dips in Jharkhand

Water table in Barkitand village of Giridih district has fallen from 8 metre below the ground level in 2013 to about 10 m in 2017

Wetlands in Kashmir shrinking due to urbanisation: Study

An analysis of land cover data from 2016 shows that the catchment of Narkara wetland in near Srinagar is now predominantly an urban setting, with …

Land degradation makes containing floods and droughts tough

Water erosion accounts for more than 50 per cent of total degraded area in India

Excess nitrogen fertilisers hamper germination, root growth in rice: study

Indian scientists have now identified rice varieties that are efficient in nitrogen use